Julio Rodríguez, J.P. Crawford homer as Mariners take key series from rival Rangers

Shane Lantz, The Seattle Times on Aug 3, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SEATTLE — For J.P. Crawford, Sunday was a perfect finish for a weekend to remember.

Just two days after sending the Mariners to a win over the Texas Rangers with a walk-off two-run homer Friday night, Crawford delivered the winning punch again Sunday with a two-run homer against Rangers ace and former New York Mets great Jacob DeGrom.

The 408-foot shot, which came with two outs in the fourth inning, put the Mariners ahead for good as they sealed a series victory with a 5-4 win, and gave themselves a two-game lead over the Rangers in both the AL West and AL wild-card standings.

After being mired in a 3-for-45 slump prior to his walk off Friday, the first of his career, Crawford now has a four-game hitting streak and a couple of big hits that have come when the Mariners needed them most.

Going up against DeGrom, Seattle knew that runs and hits might be hard to come by, with the 37-year-old experiencing a resurgent season in Texas. But the Mariners wound up driving DeGrom from the game after five innings of work, with the veteran allowing five earned runs on four hits and three walks.

Jorge Polanco got to DeGrom first with a 404-foot solo homer to right field in the second inning, but Corey Seager gave Texas the lead with a two-run shot to center field off Mariners starter Logan Evans the very next inning.

Julio Rodríguez then put the Mariners back on top, 3-2, with a two-run homer off DeGrom in the bottom of the third, the 100th homer of Rodriguez’ career and his 20th on the season.

After the Rangers tied things back up in the fourth inning when former Mariner Rowdy Tellez drove in Adolis Garcia with a double off the left-field wall to make it 3-3, Crawford came through with his ninth homer of the season for a 5-3 lead.

Rodriguez’ 391-foot blast, his ninth homer since July 11, made him the first player in MLB history to have at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in each of his first four big league seasons.

Rodriguez brought the crowd to its feet again in the top of the fifth inning with a sparkling defensive play on a flyball from Rangers third baseman Josh Smith, and then flashed his signature “No Fly Zone” sign to the center-field seats. He also had a single in the bottom half of the inning and stole his 21st base of the season.

Evans allowed three earned runs on five hits over five innings, with three strikeouts.

Garcia hit a solo homer off Mariners reliever Carlos Vargas in the top of the sixth. Vargas allowed just the one earned run on one hit over two innings, and newly-acquired lefty Caleb Ferguson pitched a perfect eighth.

Andrés Muñoz walked the first batter of the ninth inning, but got his 25th save after Cal Raleigh threw out Sam Haggerty on a steal attempt at second base, and Wyatt Langford struck out swinging to end the game.

The Mariners finished their stretch of 17 games in 17 days with Sunday’s win. They’ll get a day off Monday then begin a three-game series Tuesday at T-Mobile Park against the Chicago White Sox.